Natalie Dormer to narrate Harry Potter: A History of Magic

This October Audible will release an audiobook of Pottermore Publishing’s Harry Potter: A History of Magic, read by Natalie Dormer.

The original, non-fiction audiobook was inspired by an exhibition of the same name that ran at the British Library and showed both real-life magical artefacts and artefacts from J K Rowling’s Harry Potter series. The audiobook will be released on 4th October to coincide with the US opening of the exhibition in New York.

“I’ve always adored the Harry Potter books, but it wasn’t until I started speaking with the British Library’s curators – hearing about the various myths, legends and cultures that have helped shape the wizarding world – that I really began to appreciate the richness and depth of J. K. Rowling’s writing,” said Dormer. “There are so many wonderful details to explore and A History of Magic unearths some remarkable gems that are sure to have listeners awestruck. It’s been fun to join the Wizarding World family.”

In the audiobook Dormer will delve into the world of Ethiopian charms, Chinese oracle bones, and will introduce interviews with Jim Dale and Stephen Fry (who have narrated audiobook versions of the Harry Potter novels), illustrators Jim Kay and Olivia Lomenech Gill, and curators from the British Library and New York Historical Society.

“From the first time we spoke to the curators at the British Library and the New York Historical Society, it was clear that the magical artifacts in the exhibitions held so many hidden stories,” said Ann Scantlebury, development editor at Pottermore Publishing. “In this audiobook we have been able to delve a little bit deeper to hear about scandals and intrigues, seven reasons why a werewolf might attack, a witch flying a broomstick backwards, and a cautionary tale of an exploding cauldron. Fans of Harry Potter are in for a treat too – Jim Dale, Stephen Fry, Jim Kay, and Olivia Lomenech Gill give us great insight and some fantastic stories of how they created their own interpretations of the Wizarding World.”

Harry Potter: A History of Magic is available to pre-order via the Audible website.